No, Conservative is Not the New Punk

A common tagline in right-wing spaces is the claim that conservatism is the new punk rock, but does this claim hold any water, or is it simply indicative of the lack of originality which necessitates rightist media figures be culture vultures? It is true that longtime Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone made such a claim at the band’s RockHall (a museum which the Sex Pistols rightly derided as a “piss stain”) induction, but having made such a claim does not make him the arbiter of punk ideology — it puts him at odds with punk.

The Ramones’ self-titled debut album is commonly pointed to as the birth of punk rock proper, and a curious matter of the band’s discography is that the few times their lyrics got political were when vocalist Joey Ramone, a Jewish progressive, would take jabs at neo-Nazism and the Reagan istration (1). The Clash, a much more explicitly left-wing band followed the Ramones’ breakthrough shortly after them, and throughout their discography they advocated against racism in favor of class struggle, memorialized the Spanish republicans, and ridiculed religious fundamentalism (2). In response to the Pistols’ insincerity in “Anarchy in the UK”, the anarcho-punk, or peace punk, movement emerged, led by the art collective Crass and remaining an enduring part of punk ideology (3). Anarchist ideology was also brought back to the political mainstream by more commercially successful bands such as the Dead Kennedys, though they have since reneged on many of their principles after vocalist Jello Biafra went solo.

Emerging from the English anarcho-punk and hardcore scene was D-beat, named after the band Discharge’s signature drumming pattern which was emulated by later D-beat bands (4). D-beat, in addition to speed metal, was influential on crust punk vis à vis Antisect and Amebix (5). Because of the influence of ska on punk in the 1980s and 90s, crack rocksteady emerged from crust with the band Choking Victim, from whom the more successful and transgressive Leftöver Crack emerged (6).

Christcore, which like anarcho-punk is not a single subgenre but an ideological movement, has also had a sharp left-wing tinge. This is especially evident in the Christian ska scene, where Five Iron Frenzy has been explicitly in favor of solidarity with queer people, immigrants, and workers while Squad Five-O (who quickly pivoted to glam punk from ska) took direct aim at patriotism (7). There have been Christcore bands which made attempts to bring a more conservative message, but they have been consistently ridiculed by Christian and secular punks alike.

Hearkening to the older roots of punk, conservatism is scarcely found. Before there was punk rock, glam punk was the mainstay for listeners, combining the aggressive sound of garage and surf bands with the flamboyance and progressivism of glam rock. Such a fusion is most notable on the New York Dolls’ eponymous debut album, on which the single “Personality Crisis” tackles sexuality, gender identity, and drug addiction through double entendre. If one is interested in this movement beyond the Dolls, they might be drawn to Ruby and the Rednecks, all-female group the Runaways, and Hanoi Rocks.

What came out of and distinguished itself from punk is also anti-rightist. Grindcore, which derived from fusing crust punk with thrash and death metal, was pioneered by Napalm Death, who staunchly advocate anarchist and anti-capitalist messaging. Gothic rock, born out of post-punk, has also been a vehicle for leftists, notably Robert Smith of the Cure, a socialist and a nihilist, and the Sisters of Mercy’s Andrew Eldritch, who describes himself as an anarcho-syndicalist. Even emo has been used as a mouthpiece for left-wing bands such as At the Drive-In and emoviolence pioneers Orchid (8).

Punk is not about contrarianism, it is about liberation. Even if the majority of music listeners pivoted to punk rock and adopted its ideology against corporate control and authoritarianism, that majority would be punk, as paradoxical as that seems initially. As such, conservatism never has been and never will be punk.

Notes

1. See “Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World” and “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg”.

2. Respectively in “White Riot”, “Spanish Bombs”, and “Rock the Casbah”.

3. Anarcho-punk is not one single subgenre of punk rock but a catch-all term for punk bands across subgenres whose music or image advocates anarchist politics.

4. In addition to hardcore punk, Discharge has also recorded crossover thrash, street punk, and even glam metal albums.

5. Amebix’s later work was largely rooted in post-metal, and vocalist Rob Miller has become alienated from the band’s other and the anarcho-punk scene broadly for his Gnostic religious views and platforming neo-Nazis.

6. See Choking Victim: “Crack Rock Steady”, “Fuck America”, and “Living the Laws” and Leftöver Crack: “Gay Rude Boys Unite”, “Operation: MOVE”, and “System Fucked”.

7. See Five Iron Frenzy: “Fahrenheit” and Squad Five-O: “Bye American”.

8. At the Drive-In vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala has criticized former Foss (an earlier emo and glam punk band) bandmate Beto O’Rourke for his embrace of mainstream liberalism while Orchid combined emo with grindcore, frequently referencing the Marxist Frankfurt School in their lyrics and song titles.